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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Paybook Progress
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"Arep, you too? How far have you gotten?"
"I-I've filled it up to here."
Arep showed her the paybook he always carried with him.
"Wow! Already on your third page? Ugh, I gotta catch up fast…!"
Arep and Rubens, both eight-year-old boys the same age, quickly bonded as they compared their paybooks.
Al approached Nibelria, who had been watching them intently.
"Hi, Nini."
"Hiya!"
Nibelria greeted Al affectionately.
"You're earning pocket money with your paybook too, right?"
"Yeah. And I'm investing too."
"That's impressive. Mind if I take a look at yours?"
Nibelria happily showed him her paybook.
Al's eyes widened in admiration with each page he flipped through.
"…Wow, Nini, you've really been working hard."
It started with weeding, then moving dishes, delivering newspapers, carrying luggage, polishing shoes, organizing books, and more.
She'd even helped with laundry and cleaning the bathrooms.
'Of course, all within what a four-year-old could handle….'
Nibelria tackled any task without discrimination, diligently completing whatever was assigned to her.
Even at her young age, she showed a real sense of responsibility.
'Ah, so paybooks have that effect too.'
It wasn't just about learning the value of labor.
Responsibility.
The sense that you had to see a job through to the end—it could foster that too.
Al handed the paybook back with a bright smile.
"Nini, you're so cool. Awesome."
"Heehee! I know! I knowww!"
Embarrassed by the string of compliments, Nibelria spun in place for no reason.
Al watched her fondly, but then his gaze shifted to Arep.
Arep was staring at them with a strange look, like a puppy desperate to go out, whimpering pitifully.
"Arep! Arep!"
But the moment Nibelria approached him, his expression instantly relaxed.
'…Aha.'
Al swallowed a mischievous grin.
"Brother Al. What's up?"
Solles asked as he came over.
"Just happy. Hanging out with you kids really is the most fun."
"Our friend?"
Nibelria asked in surprise.
"Weren't you and that guy my underlings?"
"Puhahaha!"
Al burst into laughter.
The startled Nibelria stared at him oddly. Arep quietly pulled her behind him.
After laughing for a good while, Al threw his head back and caught his breath with a long exhale.
"Seriously, it might've been even more fun if she was here too."
"Letitia?"
Solles asked.
Letitia was one of the few young ladies from the Dayamor family's retainer houses. She was currently down at her estate with her family, not in the capital.
"She's a little sister I care about too. But I meant Rima."
The moment Rima's name came up, Arep's face stiffened slightly.
"She was supposed to come with us today, but she had work. Rima's earning money with her paybook too."
"Rima went to the plaza with the maids today."
Rubens said as he handed Nibelria a cookie.
Nibelria broke the cookie in half and gave one piece to Arep as she asked,
"What's Rima like?"
Before putting his half in his mouth, Arep replied,
"…We're not close, so I don't really know."
"Send these to the Degladis estate by the day after tomorrow, and the rest to this address…."
"Shall I note that in the ledger then? This one's in the southeast. It'll arrive in no more than five days, even if it's a bit far."
While the Degladis estate maid handled business with the tailor's shop owner,
Rima stood quietly by her side.
With her hair tied in twin tails with white ribbons, Rima waited demurely for the maid.
The tailor's employees, seeing how well-behaved she was, struck up fond conversations.
"So quiet and polite for such a little one."
"Want a candy?"
"Your parents must be so proud. What a lovely daughter."
Rima bowed her head in thanks for the candy and blushed, wriggling happily at the praise.
"Thank you!"
After basking in their affection, Rima left the shop with the maid, who had finished her business.
"Sorry you had to wait so long."
"Nooo! I saw so many cool things, it flew by!"
"Thanks for being so patient. Now then…."
"Um, wait!"
Rima hurriedly cut off the maid, who was about to say it was time to go, and pleaded earnestly.
"Can we just look around a little here?"
"Huh?"
The maid looked troubled.
"It's my first time in such a big market…."
Rima hung her head and fidgeted with her fingers clasped in front of her chest. She peeked up briefly, then quickly looked down again.
Pitying her, the maid said with great resolve,
"Just for a little bit, okay?"
Rima nodded vigorously.
"Hold my hand first, then…."
"Let's gooo!"
"R-Rima!"
"Hurry!"
"Wait! Too fas—!"
Rima vanished into the crowd in an instant. The flustered maid chased after her, but Rima slipped farther away.
"Rima!"
She heard the maid's urgent calls from behind.
'…Phew. Finally shook her off.'
But Rima quickly ducked into a nearby alley and hid.
Then she pulled a hat from inside her clothes and covered her pink hair.
'I'll make you my personal maid later, so just bear with me for now, sis. I'll beg Dad to forgive you.'
Ignoring the searching voice as best she could, Rima hurried toward her destination.
She couldn't miss this chance, or it'd be a real disaster.
'Who knew a paybook would come in handy like this…!'
She'd wanted to burn it the moment she got it.
But with her identity still hidden, the paybook was her only excuse to help the maids and get outside.
'First, I need to gather intel!'
Rima scanned the signs.
'General store. Where's the general store…?'
In [Can an Adopted Daughter Be Loved Too?], the informant who became Rima's staunch ally was disguised as a general store.
The owner was a young man in his twenties with two younger siblings he cherished despite not being blood-related.
His sister had been ill for a long time, so he was gathering info and money for her treatment.
'If I introduce him to someone who can make the cure, he'll be on my side. And his brother will fall for me too.'
Reviewing her solid plan, Rima stopped in front of the general store.
'…It's not like I pictured.'
She hesitated to go in.
It was described as worn but with an elegant, antique charm, yet this one looked like any ordinary shop.
Nothing like her imagination.
Still, she went inside.
"Welcome!"
A plump middle-aged clerk greeted her with a cheerful smile.
Rima glanced around, then whispered to the clerk,
"Five old wooden canes, please. One made of oak, and the tips of the other four look like they're wearing black socks."
Having recited the code to meet the informant perfectly, Rima puffed up with pride.
"What?"
The clerk squinted one eye.
"What're you on about, kid? Don't mess around."
"…Pardon?"
"You here on an errand?"
"Huh? No, I…."
Flustered, Rima repeated the code.
But the clerk just stared at her in bewilderment, looking even more annoyed than before.
Then he waved his arms wildly.
"If you're gonna play games, scram. Don't cause trouble."
"N-No! That's not…!"
Did I get the code wrong?
But I made it up myself?
Panicking, Rima repeated it over and over. Eventually, she shouted, "I'm here to see the informant owner!"
In the end, she was chased out of the store.
"……."
She stared up at the general store in disbelief.
But nothing changed.
'H-How is this…!'
Denying reality, Rima shook her head and backed away—right into something that bumped her head.
"Oh dear. Are you all right?"
A brown-haired old woman with patches of white spoke in a worried tone. Her kind green eyes blinked slowly.
Too young for an old lady, but too aged for middle-aged.
"……."
Rima stood there blankly, speechless.
After watching her for a moment, the woman asked,
"Sorry, but I overheard you yelling at the general store earlier. Are you looking for the informant?"
"Uh, th-that's…!"
Rima snapped out of it too late and tried to brush it off and run.
"Then will you come with me?"
The woman smiled warmly.
"This granny works for the informant."
Unable to shake off the shock from the general store, Rima followed the woman for now.
She never wanted to set foot in that place again.
"Who are you, Granny?"
Drained of energy, Rima couldn't even keep up her childish lisp.
"Just the cleaning lady at the informant shop."
"Cleaning lady?"
Rima couldn't hide her disappointment.
Now that she looked, the hair was a plain brown. No one with special abilities would have such a drab color.
"We shouldn't bring in outsiders lightly, but you looked so desperate…."
The woman led her to a shoe store.
Its worn but elegantly antique exterior matched exactly what Rima had first imagined for the general store.
Up on the second floor, a young man spotted the woman and Rima, frowning.
"Cleaning lady! Who's the kid?"
"She said she wanted to meet the informant boss…."
"And you just bring in some outsider?"
The man bellowed about what kind of stunt this was.
